Crude Double Feature at Cinema Akil

Join us for a special film screening this February in collaboration with Cinema Akil on the current group exhibition ‘Crude’, exploring oil’s influences in today’s world which will run until 30 March 2019. The program will be introduced by the curator of ‘Crude’; UAE- and USA-based curator and writer Murtaza Vali.

After the first Gulf War in 1991, countless oil fields in Kuwait were set ablaze during the retreat of invading forces. Those months following the war were nothing short of the classic image of a biblical apocalypse: the earth belching fire and the black scorched sky felt like a portrait of hell as it should be, an almost romanticized vision of the end of the world. In this work, amateur VHS video footage of the oil fires is juxtaposed with audio monologues from Islamic television programs of the same period. At the time, the tools used to represent religion were geared towards visualizing god through nature. Trees, waterfalls, mountains, and animals were the visual staple of religious media, and the narration was not that of the Koran, but of Arabic poetry recited by a skilled orator with a deep voice.

An apocalyptic vision featuring the oil well fires in Kuwait after the Gulf-War, as a whole world burst into flames. This film is stylized as science fiction, as there is not a single shot in which you can recognize our planet.

Tickets are available for sale at www.cinemaakil.com and for details on the schedules.
Tickets are AED 50 + VAT and are available for purchase online and at the box office.
***Age restrictions may apply due to the nature and suitability of the film. At our discretion and in accordance with regulations, we reserve the right to request proof of ID and you will be asked to leave if you are under the required age.